Hawthorn

Hawthorn fruit (Crataegus fructus)

A type of shrub or tree. Grows everywhere in Bulgaria The fruits are false, spherical, have a red or red-brown colour. They contain one seed. They begin to ripen after mid-August unevenly over the whole bush. Ready for harvest September – October. We dry the well ripened fruits spread on sticks in a chamber dryer at 45 degrees Celsius.

The berries help in heart weakness, cardiac arrhythmias, atherosclerosis, insomnia, chest frog, nervous agitation, hypertension and to reduce cholesterol.

A tale of hawthorn :

In the realm of our old ancestors, where the sun caresses every leaf and the earth is rich and fertile, lies an extraordinary shrub – the hawthorn. This humble but mighty gift of nature is known for its miraculous properties beneficial to the heart and soul of man.

People lived in harmony with nature, respecting its gifts and wisdom. Among them was the old healer Bozhura, who knew all the secrets of the forest. It was she who told the young and the old about the magical properties of the hawthorn.

-“Listen to me, children of the forest,” she would begin her stories under the ancient oaks. “Hawthorn is the key to a sound heart and calm nerves. Its berries hold the power to balance the energy in our bodies and protect us from disease.”

One evening, when the moon was illuminating the paths in the forest with its silver rays, old Bozhura gathered the children of the village around her and told them the story of the young boy who had lost his calm and strength of spirit. The boy suffered from anxiety and no potion could help him.

“But one day,” continued Bozhura, “the young man discovered a hawthorn bush whose fruit shone like precious red stones under the moonlight. He remembered his grandmother’s words about the miraculous power of hawthorn and decided to try it. Day after day, he ate of the fruit. And a miracle happened! His heart grew stronger and his nerves calmer.

“So, my dears,” the old healer concluded her stories, “do not forget the wisdom of the forest and the power of the hawthorn. It is our friend and guardian, given to us by nature herself to live healthy and happy.”

The children listened with open ears and hearts, vowing to remember these words and share the secret with future generations.

The story of the hawthorn and its healing properties was passed from mouth to mouth, like an old Bulgarian fairy tale.